


Pegasus

by Felin_V



Series: Edelgard month 2020 [4]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, Gen, M/M, One Shot, Peaceful days, Post-War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:13:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24779695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Felin_V/pseuds/Felin_V
Summary: A mini one-short series to celebrate Pride month (Edelgard month).The stories focus on the peaceful days Edelgard spends with her BEgles.This time, Edelgard wants to discuss something with Ferdinand, but they end up talking about another matter instead.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth, Ferdinand von Aegir & Edelgard von Hresvelg, Ferdinand von Aegir/ Hubert von Vestra (mentioned)
Series: Edelgard month 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1773853
Comments: 4
Kudos: 33





	Pegasus

Horse, Wyvern, and Pegasus. These were all a vital companion of the knights and soldiers on the battlefield alike. Without them, the cavalry would not be able to advance ahead with impressive speed. The Wyvern master would fail to deliver a heavy blow from their mighty axe and a fierce talon from their wild Wyvern. And the Pegasus knight would lack the ability to soar into the murky dull sky above the battlefield. Thus, it was crucial for the army to raise and tend to these animals well so that they could have a relaxing time during a tense war. In general, it would be a responsibility for the hostler to tend to these animals. But often time, it would be the rider themselves who took care of their own companion, building an opportunity to bond with their respective mount. After all, the bond between them was another factor that could determine the life and death of both the rider and the ride. However, after the war ended, most of these animals were released back into the wild. At the same time, some of those that could not do so still remained within the peaceful stable of the Enbarr palace. Without a war, there was no need to put these unfortunate animals into a stressful situation anymore. Nonetheless, the Emperor required the hostler to treat the rest of the mounts with full respect and care, providing them the life they deserved after carrying their rider through the life and death battleground for so long. At the same time, although most soldiers and knights were retired after the war ended, some also remained and took over the duty to tend to their old comrades’ mount with care. And that included her old friend from the Academy’s days whom Edelgard had been looking as of now. 

Striding nonchalantly through the calm breeze, Edelgard was on her way to the stable of the palace. While she was enjoying the mild sunshine above, her mind was thinking back to the day when she was so irritated by this old friend with his one-sided rivalry. It had been a long time since their last duel, and true to his word, he had been nothing but a capable and honorable Prime Minister of the new government she established. After seeing his impressive accomplishments for the past years since the war, she thought that the man would seize his old habit. But she was wrong. Not entirely wrong, at least, because from time to time, the man would come to her and babbling nonstop about his achievement and everything. Old habits die hard, it seemed. As her mind wandered her back into the past, her legs finally took her to the stable where she expected the Prime Minister who adored these majestic animals dearly. 

As expected, when Edelgard took a peek inside, she saw the Prime Minister tenderly brushing the Pegasus’s mane. And so, the Emperor decided to announce her presence. “Here you are. I have been looking for you, Ferdinand.”

Upon hearing his name from the Emperor’s lip, Ferdinand startled a tad bit before regaining his regal composure and turning toward her. “Oh. My apologies, Your Majesty. That was not befitting of a man of honor to make you look for me.”

Such a serious response prompted a subtle, tried frown to appear on Edelgard face. “Relax, Ferdinand. It was not anything of importance. That’s why I decided to fetch for you myself instead of having Hubert do it as usual.”

As if those statements were a spell that cast on him, Ferdinand instantly dropped the formality and replaced it with his usual bright, lively voice. “Is that so? Well then, what matters do you wish to discuss with me, Ferdinand von Aegir!” 

The sight of Ferdinand puffing his chest with pride evoked a long sigh from Edelgard, as if she almost regretted her decision to seek him out. A beat passed for Edelgard to reconsider her decision inwardly before she steeled up herself and encouraged herself to speak up.

“I was… actually going to ask for your recommendation regarding the kind of tea that Byleth might like.” Edelgard reluctantly said as she approached the Pegasus Ferdinand was tending to.

The question prompted Ferdinand’s brows to quirk up in perplexity. “I thought she likes Bergamot just like you, is she not?”

“To be honest, ...I don’t know. Yes, she usually has Bergamot. But I think that just because she frequently has tea with me who enjoyed having them. I’m not sure if she would rather prefer other kinds or not.” Edelgard responded with a tone full of uncertainty while she gently patted the Pegasus’s muzzle as if to find comfort in the soft skin.

And it was quite common knowledge among the Black Eagles as well. Ever since the Academy’s days, Byleth often invited her to relaxed tea time in the garden every week she was available. And ever since she knew her favorite tea was a Bergamot, Byleth would always have it during their tea time together. Even though the time had passed for so many years, Byleth and her would spend time lazily in the palace garden, having tea that Byleth chose, which, often time, would be a Bergamot. Thus, Edelgard was so convinced that Byleth’s favorite drink would be a Bergamot like hers until a few days back when she just realized that Byleth never actually said she likes it. As Edelgard lost in thought, Ferdinand’s curious voice and his observation brought her back to the stable. 

“Hmmm. When she had tea with me, she always drinks my favorite one as well. And I heard from Hubert that she sometimes gets his favorite coffee and manages to drink it with him too. Now that I think about it, is she even have a favorite drink at all?” 

Edelgard gazed at the dumbfounded Ferdinand who just realized what she was asking with a weak smile. Byleth had been like this for a long time. Always kind and perceptive about others with every little detail. But there was a cost for caring about others too much. Edelgard started to notice these side effects after she spent more private time with her, such as that Byleth barely thought about herself like what she needed, wanted, or liked. Her wife always treated others well. But because of that, because she had been treating others too well, Edelgard wanted to treat her well, also.

“That’s why I came for your advice, Ferdinand. Your knowledge regarding tea is much more advanced than mine, after all.”

Ferdinand was taken aback by the calm, yet restless lilac eyes in front of him. Although He knew Edelgard always listened and valued his contrasting view, this was the first time she explicitly admitted his knowledge as being superior to hers. And so, with a determination to not let this opportunity to show his superiority to slip through fingers like sand, Ferdinand strengthened his posture and blurted out his proud, confident voice to resonate well within the confine of the stable. 

“Then let me! I could guess that she might like the Sweet-Apple blend or Albinean Berry blend because those are well-liked by everyone, especially among the commoner. So they might be familiar to her and---”

As the bright sound of Ferdinand’s analysis vibrated through every inch of the stable, Edelgard took mental notes of every detail he let out with attentive nods along the way. They were discussing and speculating the subject with enthusiasm that was quite rare to happen between their conversation. Eventually, Edelgard found herself along with Ferdinand sitting on the bench outside the stable, watching the blue sky turned into the bright, orange shade that reminded her of the person beside her.

“Thank you. That was very well-informed. I'm glad I came to the right person.” Edelgard finally spoke up with a subtle smile after Ferdinand seemed to finish relaying out all that he knew about tea.

“Of course! I’m glad I could help.” Ferdinand replied with a beam that could lighten up even the night sky before he continued with an empathic feature as if he was ready to console Edelgard already. “By the way, it is really thoughtful of you to try returning the favor for Professor like this. So don’t be disappointed even if you cannot find the right tea for her. I’m sure she would be grateful, nonetheless.”

Those arrogant features urged Edelgard’s brows to twist with annoyance as she retorted back with a smirk. “Says the one who frantically imported various rare coffee bean just to find his husband’s favorite blend and discovered it when his husband accidentally blurted out on his own.” 

The remark prompted a sheepish laugh from Ferdinand as if he was trying to hide the shade of red on his feature. After the small moment of casual teasing, a comfortable silence fell on them as they watched the sky, playfully shifted its color as if it was alive. The silence stretched out for a while before Ferdinand decided to break it with a voice that seemed to lose its energy through the wind. 

“You know? I used to think that you were always perfect in every aspect of your life. Like you never had any flaw or weakness at all. For me, you were like a real noble I always strive to be.”

Quirking her eyebrows with bewilderment and surprise, Edelgard simply asked back while thinking about both the one-sided rivalry in the past and the current competition ones, “That’s why you like to compete with me all these time?”

Looking down from the rich sky above to the plain ground below, Ferdinand replied quietly with a tone that hinted with chagrin and shame, “In a way, I think. I just...I admired you and wanted to be like you.”

Edelgard gazed at the man beside her with a pensive expression as she noticed that Ferdinand refused to meet her in the eyes, hinting that he was being honest and opened to her. It was such a rare sight for this man, who was always confident and prideful, to show his vulnerability like this, especially in front of her of all people. It prompted Edelgard to return something just so it could comfort the man. 

“Well. I’m not perfect, Ferdinand. No one is perfect. I do have some flaws that you might already know and some I could not share.” 

Somehow, the remark urged a subtle smile on Ferdinand’s calm feature as if he already knew that but felt grateful nonetheless. A beat after he regained his assertiveness, Ferdinand spoke up again with more confidence in his tone, “I know. That was some aspects that made me look at you differently than before. It made me look at you as a Pegasus instead of something that is out of reach.”

With a sudden change of air, Edelgard furrowed her brows in confusion, not knowing where this came from and how she should react. And so, she simply blurted out a protest that popped up on top of her mind with a scoff, “A Pegasus? If you ask people, I think they would agree that I’m more like a wild Wywern or something of a sort.”

A breathless laugh from Ferdinand followed a sarcastic remark as if he somewhat agreed with that. But when Ferdinand saw the Emperor looked at him with even more of puzzlement, he elaborated with eyes filled with sparkling, “From the surface, they might say you are a fierce Wyvern. But if they know you like the rest of the Strike Force and me, I believe they would agree with my reflection. The Pegasus, despite their flaws like the hard-earned trust and sensitivity, they are an intelligent, elegant, and majestic creature with a pair of strong wings that could carry them and their riders through the vigorous wind. More importantly, they are free and kind. Exactly just like you.”

After Ferdinand’s perception of her sank into Edelgard’s mind, she turned to avoid such an authentic gaze and murmured weakly to herself. 

“Free and kind, huh….I doubt that.”

Seeing that Edelgard was not convinced, Ferdinand strengthened and, as he always did, firmly contributed his contrasted opinion for the Emperor so that she could finally view things from a different perspective. 

“Well, you only do things that can benefit everyone alike, regardless of their birth and blood, even though you can just sit and watch on the throne. You always listen to the citizen’s voices and accommodate them as much as you can. And you never bound yourself with your title or your position. You indeed used to be bounded by your responsibility as the heir of the Adrestian Empire and the Emperor. But not anymore. Not after the Professor chose you. Not after she tended to your flaws, being a part of you that supports your imperfection. That’s why you allow yourself to be yourself...free and kind. And that’s why I think of you as the majestic, beautiful Pegasus, Edelgard.”

There was a long silence after Ferdinand finished with resolved, yet soft eyes. All the while, Edelgard was captivated by the genuine verdict with wide eyes. She never thought of herself that way before. If she was asked to list a word that described herself, kindness would be the very last one on the list, and certainly, there would be no freedom on it. And so, once again, the Emperor was at a loss for words as the Prime Minister presented his different insight. The insight she never dared to dream of.

A moment later, when Edelgard could find her voice again, she smiled. “I always value your insight. But this? This compliment? Ferdinand, did you perhaps drink too much coffee as of late? Should I ask Hubert to restrain himself from having free time with you?”

“Hey! I’m serious, Edelgard!” Ferdinand exclaimed, feeling a tad bit offended and embarrassed. 

Edelgard wholeheartedly laughed as if she had nothing else to hold back, to hide. Her bright laugh that rang throughout the stable was like proof that she did not regret asking her used-to-be-one-sided rival a suggestion. His futile competition might go on till the day their fates set them apart while her irritation and annoyance might not be able to stop growing against him forever. Nonetheless, Edelgard could not find herself to mind. Ferdinand was just Ferdinand. And her is just...her. A lot of bickering and argument could have waited for them in the foreseeable time. Regardless, she would never be less grateful for having this man by her side. Not then, not now, and definitely not in the future.

**Author's Note:**

> Of course, after the story with Hubert, I have to continue the series with his husband.  
> I really like Ferdinand's character. People might see him as an arrogant, cheerful man. But I like to think that he also had a weak side as well.  
> Being optimistic all the time is hard sometimes.  
> And at the same time, I like that he is not just...you know, being just a flat optimistic character. He has a big brain that could clash with Edelgard's after all.  
> Just a little note here, I think people headcanon him to like horse only, but for me, I think he would just love every animal that live in the stable.  
> Anyway, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy it so far. And feel free to leave any comments or kudos!  
> Lastly, would you agree with Ferdinand about his vision of Edelgard? Just curious because I think I'm the only one who agrees with him. orz.


End file.
